Reflecting on a Great Summer

I can hardly believe it, but today is the first day of September. Kids will be going back to school on Tuesday and the regular routines will begin again. I may have said so here before, but I don't generally count myself among the many millions who consider summer to be the best time of year. I tend to prefer the autumn and winter months: those seasons match my taste in clothing, my taste in food and my temperament. However, the summer of 2012 has proven to be one of the most enjoyable in the history of my life. I somehow didn't mind the hot, sticky weather. I threw caution to the warm wind and decided to take a lot of time off this summer, venturing back to my hometown for weeks at a time. There were lazy days at the cottage and active days in the city, weddings, anniversaries, parties and gatherings that were truly memorable and fun. There were roller coaster rides and cotton candy, quiet dinners at quiet bistros and boistrous rounds of drinks on sunny patios. Although it seems counter-intuitive for me to say so, I will really miss this summer. Below are some photographic highlights of the summer that was in the life of Andrew Ritchie.